I REMEMBER PAPA

From Ketteman (Heat Wave, 1998, etc.), a sentimental reminiscence about a Saturday train trip to the ball game and a life lesson gained from a childhood loss. A young boy accompanies his father to Cincinnati, hoping to buy a baseball glove, his savings tucked securely inside his pocket. Needless to say, he loses the money and fears he won't be able to buy the mitt. His father, instead of buying much-needed work boots, comes through with the money, and the child is determined to pay back every penny. The grainy gouache paintings have the varnished look of an aging, yellowed photograph, appropriately nostalgic. While the plot is constructed around a baseball mitt, the theme at the center of the story is the hallowed relationship between father and son in a bygone era, fondly remembered. (Picture book. 4-8)